The definition of Happiness
by MarcoLover16
Summary: Sequel to Get Out. It really must be read before this : It focuses on Rebecca's life in school, and also Marco and Dylan, of course. It is Darco. Male pregnancy. See author's note on Anytime is Good, just not now.
1. New year, New school, New friend

Author's Note: So, I'm sorry this took so long, but I have good reasons. First of all, I'm in the middle of final exams. Ah. Second of all, I've gone to four different doctors in a row for this stupid infection I have, and it's been preventing sleep, which is really frustrating since I get up at, like, four a.m. I need as much sleep during the night as I can get! Anyway, so I've been sleeping everyday straight after my finals because, for some reason, it lets me sleep during the day. I know you don't want to hear about all of this lol, but I like to explain myself :) Sorry it took so long. Everything should be getting back on schedule now. I have an exam tomorrow, (the 13th) then Thursday, and then next Wednesday. After that, it's summer!!! So excited. Enjoy :)

"I am wearing this skirt," said Rebecca stubbornly, holding her right hand on her hip, flattening said skirt against her legs.

"No," said Dylan, "it's way too short."

Rebecca crossed her arms. Her face brightened when she saw Marco walking into the kitchen. He sat down tiredly, rubbing at his eyes. She handed him his already made coffee sitting on the counter top, and let him take a sip before bothering him.

"Daddy, do you see anything wrong," she pointed to her outfit, "with my apparel?" she asked hopefully.

Marco sighed, carefully looking her over. He nodded. "Yeah, you can wear it."

"Marco!" Dylan exclaimed. "I told her it was too short. People are going to," he frowned, "look at her."

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "The point," she said quietly.

"You excited, hon?" asked Marco, ignoring Dylan's surliness.

Rebecca shrugged. "I don't know," she admitted.

Marco looked appalled. "It's your first day in High School. You have no feelings on the matter?"

"There'll be a bunch of new people and all, but it's still just school," she said.

"Get excited, please," said Marco giddily. "Come on, let's go," he said, kissing Dylan on the cheek. He waved to them, not wanting to turn back to see Rebecca's revealing clothing.

"So, you're not going to be going in this late every day, right?" asked Rebecca, leaning her head against the window.

"Just today," he replied.

Rebecca was silent for a moment, watching her father quickly finishing his second cup of coffee. "Just because you work at Degrassi doesn't mean you're going to be around me, right?" she tried to sound nonchalant.

Marco laughed, not taking it offensively. "Eager to get rid of me? I'm not going to follow you, no," he said.

Rebecca nodded, going back to her own thoughts. Rebecca loved her parents to death, and she definitely wasn't embarrassed by them, but she'd dealt with a lot in the years past. For instance, other students hadn't really begun to find out about her 'different' family style until the end of her previous year, but there had been many rumors. Many of them she didn't care to even squash. She never cared what people thought of her, but she didn't want to lose all the popularity she'd gained. Starting at the High School meant her father was going to be around. If word got out that he worked there…well, many people would be more inclined to think about her situation.

She'd promised herself that her parents' orientation would never ever bother her, but the fact that it cost her many friends…well, that part hit close to home, not that she'd ever explain to her family that she'd ever lost anyone. It would make them feel horrible.

When they arrived at Degrassi, she found her heart was pounding. She shouldn't have been so nervous. Yes, there were new teachers, new students, older students, and she was in the building where Marco worked, but there was nothing to be worried about.

Rebecca let her father head to his office, kissing his cheek, and walking to her homeroom.

Walking into Mr. Simpson's computer room, she noticed many familiar faces, and also many new ones, but she tried not to be intimidated when she sat down in the seat closest to the door. '_Nearest exit', _she thought to herself.

"Attention, everyone!" called Mr. Simpson, immediately quieting the students in the room. "My name is Mr. Simpson. Most of you are new to me, whereas some of you," he glanced at Rebecca, who smiled shyly, "I've met before. Now, you've all been in school before, so I'm sure that you know what's expected of you, but…"

It really was the same old thing. Speeches, lectures, rules, and expectation the first day; work, work, and more work the second day. Rebecca sighed, leaning her head in her right hand, propped up by her elbow.

"Ms. Donavan?"

"What?" said Rebecca, jumping back into reality after zoning for a moment.

Mr. Simpson smiled. "Try not to do that tomorrow. The bell rang," he said, nodding toward the door. Rebecca then realized she was alone in class.

_Stupid. _"Sorry, Mr. Simpson," she apologized, picking her books up from underneath her chair. "I'll pay attention tomorrow, I swear."

Mr. Simpson nodded, knowing the pressure she'd been under lately. It was only the first day, after all. He didn't need to get angry.

"Have a good day, Rebecca," he said.

Rebecca didn't respond. She was too busy rushing out the door to get to her first period class.

"Damn," she cursed, looking down at her schedule while the taller kids pushed her out of their way. "…don't know where this is."

"Uh, excuse me…"

"What?" Rebecca looked up to see whether the voice was directed at her. Most of the crowd had gone, with the exception of the boy in front of her and two girls scurrying to get to class.

"Crap," said Rebecca, hearing the bell ring. "So much for being on time this year," she said, frustrated. "Anyway, what's up?" she asked, talking to the boy while he walked slowly next to her.

"I can't find my way around this place. It's like a maze," he said. Rebecca took his schedule from his hands. It didn't matter; they were already late. "Oh, yeah, that's where I've got to go," she laughed. "We'll find it eventually."

"Thanks," he said, though Rebecca didn't know why. She hadn't given him much help. They walked together until they finally found the room.

"Decided to show up?" asked Mr. Armstrong, pausing in the middle of his lecture for the two to find a seat in the back. "Don't be late again," he warned, continuing with his speech.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "It's the first day," she said. "So," she whispered, "You didn't go to our Junior High. Were you in—"

"I'm new," he interrupted, "to the town, I mean."

"Ohh," she said. "I'm relatively new. I mean, I moved here in sixth grade because my dad works here, and he wanted to be closer…plus he wanted a house," she laughed.

"I see," he said. "So, your dad works he—"

"I'm not sure if you two realized this," said Mr. Armstrong, looking annoyed, "but if you'd like to join in, the rest of the class is listening to me."

"Sorry," said Rebecca.

"What are your names?" he asked, purely out of curiosity, Rebecca hoped.

"I'm Rebecca," she said, looking at the boy next to her, making sure he heard. She hated introducing herself twice.

"I'm Daniel," he said quietly. Rebecca had already gotten the feeling he was a shy boy, totally unlike herself, of course. He seemed nice, though, and she was a very good judge of character.

Mr. Armstrong nodded. "Not making a good impression on me," he said, and then started to talk again, every once in a while glancing back at them Fortunately, Rebecca knew when to stop talking.

"So," she said, the moment Armstrong started answering questions, "what were we talking about?" she asked.

Daniel shrugged. "You know," he said conversationally, smiling slightly, "you talk really fast."

Rebecca laughed. "No offense," he added, though she wasn't offended.

"I get that a lot," she said simply. "So, why'd—"

"Tomorrow is when we're really going to start," said Mr. Armstrong, "so I appreciate having most of your attention this period. There's ten minutes left, so take advantage of it," he finished. Rebecca rolled her eyes. Same every year.

"Why'd you move here?" she said again.

Daniel sighed. "Parents…separation," he said.

Rebecca bit her lip. "I'm sorry," she said.

Daniel waved away her apology. "I'm okay," he said. "To tell you the truth, I'm sort of glad, but don't repeat that," he whispered, as though his mother would appear right beside them.

"I wouldn't," she said honestly. "That must be hard, though. Who do you live with? Your mom?"

"Yeah," he said. He didn't seem to mind talking about it. In fact, he looked rather happy to get it out there to someone. "I don't understand why _we _had to leave, you know? I keep thinking to myself: why couldn't dad leave? He was the one who—sorry, am I bothering you?" He looked extremely apologetic

"Not at all," she said. "Continue."

"Well, he just screwed everything up, and it makes me so angry, you know? I mean, I never tell my parents anything, anyway," he said quickly. Rebecca smiled.

"See, under pressure, you talk pretty quickly too," she said. This boy was a little hard to figure out, but she didn't mind.

He paused in his frustration with his father. "Who says I'm under pressure?"

The bell rang loudly, signaling the end of the period. "What do you have next?" she asked, grabbing his schedule.

"You're with me again," she said happily. "Don't worry; after that, we're not together again until lunch. You'll be rid of me soon."

"Good," he teased.

"So, on to…uh," she checked the schedule again, (Damn, short term memory loss) "science..."

"Let's try to be on time to this class," he suggested, quickening his pace. "Besides, this one isn't so far."

After her sixth class of the day, Rebecca walked slowly down the hallway to her locker to put her stuff away before lunch. So far, her day was good, and she'd even managed to—

"Becky." –managed to avoid Anthony.

"Hi," she said politely, smiling as convincingly as she could before turning back to shut and lock her locker.

"How was your summer?" asked Anthony, trying way too hard to keep his tone pleasant.

"Good, and France? How was it?"

"Excellent," he said, raising his eyebrow at the boy who walked up behind them. "Who're you?" he asked.

"This," said Rebecca, pointing to her new friend, "is Daniel. He's my friend."

"Oh, I get it. He's new." he said, waving good-bye.

"I told you, it's fine," said Marco, rolling his eyes. "I'm not, you know, moving buildings, babe."

"Still, I worry about you, you know?" said Dylan, concerned, shifting the phone from his right ear to his left. "And hockey season…games all the time…I just have a lot to do, and I don't want to leave you to deal with this."

"Dylan," Marco tried to stay calm. "We can talk about this when I get home. I'm three months pregnant, but I'm not dying."

"You get up at four-thirty just to vomit for an hour, though. Marco," said Dylan, sighing, "you actually plan your whole schedule based on when you're going to get sick."

"I'm a planner, you know that," said Marco. For the first time in three months, the pregnancy was okay with him. He was feeling quite all right, and all of a sudden, Dylan was calling every few minutes to check up on him at work.

"I feel fine," he said again, more sweetly. "I love you, okay?"

"Yes, I know, but Ma—"

"Dyl, stop. I have to go," he laughed. "Bye."

"Bye."

Marco got up to stand, grabbing his side in pain. He was fine just before he hung up! It wasn't a big deal, just a slight pain in the side. He took a deep breath. "I'm all right," he told himself, and the pain subsided after a few minutes.

He picked up his scheduled times for meetings. He had a few minutes to rest, and he was sure the pain would be back within a few minutes.

"So, who was that guy?" asked Daniel, sitting down across from Rebecca at a lunch table.

"Just the guy who made last year my living hell," she said. Daniel was going to question, but he realized it wasn't a topic Rebecca wanted to pursue.

"So, I don't have too many friends anymore, as you can see," she said, picking at her salad crossly. "It's mostly because of that jackass."

Daniel wasn't really sure what to say. "I'm sorry," he said. "Can I ask why?"

"There are many reasons," she said vaguely. "So, you never got to finish your complaints about your parents," she said, changing the subject.

"I'm not really desiring to," he said, taking a bite of pizza. "I'm just annoyed because, like, even though he and I didn't get along, I miss my dad. I love my mother, but sometimes I wish she'd jump off a cliff. She's just so obsessive."

"You shouldn't say things like that," said Rebecca, looking up. "I never knew my mom."

Daniel looked up from his food as well, his eyes shining with regret. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Sometimes…you just say things like that, not even thinking, but…I didn't…I'm sorry," he stammered.

Rebecca took pity on him. "It's okay," she assured him. "Like you said or…almost said," she laughed, "you didn't know, and I never knew her anyway."

Daniel smiled again, looking slightly less guilty. "Really, though, I'm sorry."

She waved his apology off. "So, I have a question for you," she said, getting up from the table, "is this skirt too short?"

Daniel laughed. "Wouldn't you ask that question before you came in with it?"

"Well, I think it's perfectly fine, but my Uncle apparently thinks not," she said. "So?"

"It's fine," he said.

"Don't lie," she demanded, sitting back down due to the fact that people started to wonder why she was standing in the middle of the aisle.

"It's fine, really. I don't know," he said uncomfortably.

"So, if you don't mind my asking," Daniel asked a little while later, "how did your mother die?"

Rebecca sighed. "When I'm finally told, I'll let you know."

Author's Note: Please review :)


	2. Marco runs the show

Author's Note: Wow, I really need to learn the meaning of sunscreen. I am no longer completely white with red spots, but completely red with a few white spots lol. My biology regents! AH, I can't can't can't can't FAIL! Oooh my gosh, I'm scared. Anyway, enjoy while I study :)

"I'm home," Rebecca announced, walking into the house. She was greeted with silence, meaning no one else was around. She smiled.

Rebecca walked up the staircase to her parents' bedroom, opening and closing every cabinet in there.

"Damn," she said to herself. "Where _is _it?"

"Looking for something?" asked Marco from the doorway, clearly more amused than angry. "Rebecca, what are you doing? Tearing my room apart?"

"Okay," she said, dropping the sock in her hand. "Where's your picture box?"

Marco rolled his eyes, walking over the closet. "I was going to look in there," she said, while he brought a chair over.

"Don't make a comment," he said, his voice threatening. Rebecca laughed.

"About your height? I wouldn't dream of it," she said, smiling. She took the box from his hand. "Thanks."

"No problem," said Marco, sitting down on the bed with her.

Marco watched in silence as she looked carefully at each picture. "That's my mom, right?" she asked, seeing a fourteen-year-old version of Paige with her arm slung around Spinner.

Marco had to smile at the look of pure innocence on both of their faces. Rebecca looked so much like her mother.

"Yes," said Marco.

"And…" Rebecca looked up at him. "Spinner…isn't my dad."

"What?" asked Marco, caught off guard. "Rebecca, you've met him before. You know he's not." He wondered where she ever came up with such a thought.

"Well, I didn't think he was. I just…wonder who is," she said slowly, hinting.

"You know, I think it's time for us to go dow—"

"No," she interrupted, pulling on his hand, preventing him from getting up. "Dad, please…please tell me."

"He's not important, Becky," said Marco, already tired of the conversation.

"He's important to me," said Rebecca, lying back against the other end of the bed, her strawberry blonde hair falling on the pillows around her. "I have his last name."

Marco rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Rebecca—"

"At least tell me how—how my mom died," she pleaded. "I need to know, dad."

Marco motioned for her to come sit next to him, and she smiled, quickly obliging. He put his arm around her shoulders. "All right," he started, "but this is not a happy story."

"I figured," said Rebecca, "but don't worry. If you cry, I'm here."

Marco rolled his eyes. "I'll be okay, thanks."

Rebecca waited patiently for her father to begin. "You know, of course, that your mother and I were very close." Rebecca nodded. "Well, Dylan and I didn't approve much of her choice as a boyfriend. We were under the impression that he was quite…controlling.

"Your mother wasn't stupid. So, I found it hard to believe that she was with such an idiot. He'd hurt her many times, but he said that he wanted to marry her, and that things would get better.

"Unfortunately, they really didn't. They married, but as soon as your mother became pregnant with you, he fled. Suddenly, he wanted nothing to do with your mother or you, in that case.

"Paige was a very strong woman, as I've told you many times. She was going to raise you on her own, and she wasn't going to let herself be depressed about your father." Marco paused then, getting to the point in the story that was so foggy in his mind.

"She…she often dropped you with us," he said. "When she needed to work, Dylan and I would take care of you, so we thought everything was okay. She just needed help, you know?"

Marco felt tears in his eyes that he was completely unwilling to shed. "You were quite a handful as a baby," he said. "Anyway, one day, Dylan and I were taking care of you…and we got a call from the hospital."

Rebecca waited for him to go on. "And?" she said after a while.

"She committed suicide," he finished, closing his eyes, hoping he didn't relive the memory again.

"Oh," said Rebecca, rather taken aback. "I always figured it had been come car crash or something. I—wow."

"Umm, Rebecca, if you don't mind, I—"

"Of course," she interrupted, a strange feeling coursing through her body. She took the box, and exited her father's room, confused. She only wished she could feel as upset as her father about it. Did it make her completely heartless that the thought of her mother killing herself didn't affect her at all?

She went to the hallway to her bedroom, closing the door behind her, as always, and walked to her computer. While it started up, she looked at the pictures in the box. She'd discovered her father's albums and the 'box' when she was about eight, and since then, she'd constantly look at the same pictures over and over again, usually asking both of her parents questions about each picture.

She knew almost the story about each one. "Ripped wedding picture," she muttered. Her father had been angry when Dylan had come back to divorce him…so the picture had paid the price.

Another picture of Paige and Dylan in high school lay in her hand. Rebecca smiled, a picture of Dylan graduating.

"What could have been so _horrible?" _she whispered to herself. Why did she feel the need to take her own life?

She had plenty of help! Rebecca didn't know how to feel, but she couldn't help but feel slightly angry. Didn't her mother understand how many lives she had probably ruined, mainly her current parents?

With her computer finally usable, she went online, almost fearing an instant message from Anthony, even though she knew he wouldn't waste his time online bothering her. No, that was a pleasure she only received during school hours. However, she did get a message immediately from a certain 'friend' she tried to avoid. She sighed. Why had she even signed on?

It wasn't that she disliked Lena. It was just she saw her _all _the time, and since Lena was quite a bit younger than her, (being only nine) she only wanted small doses of her. She gave a quick hello to her, and then lied, saying that her father needed her, and promptly signed off. She had no one she wanted to talk to, anyway. She would have to ask Daniel if he had an account.

Her pointless online time over, Rebecca decided to have a quiet sit-down in the living room, but by the time she got into the room, it turned out to not be so quiet anymore. She tried to be sympathetic, considering her father's—er—condition, but he'd been so emotional lately that their arguments became daily.

"And I only just—Rebecca," said Dylan sweetly, glad for a chance to walk out of the fight. Marco turned to her as well.

"How was the first day?" Dylan asked, sitting down next to her. Marco went into the kitchen, probably starting dinner.

"Okay, I guess," she shrugged. It had been good. Meeting Daniel was definitely a plus, but for some reason, she didn't feel comfortable telling Dylan about it. _Weird. _She'd never felt weird saying anything at all to her parents.

"So, here's the deal," said Dylan, leaning closer to her. "Ellie and Jesse are coming over tonight," Rebecca winced, "and they're not bringing Lena. However, could you please make an effort to give, maybe, ten minutes on the phone with her tonight?" he asked.

"Absolutely," she said. "It's just," she laughed, "that she gets attached to me, and I don't…" she felt like she had to explain herself.

"I understand," said Dylan. "So, you two talked about your mother?"

"Oh," said Rebecca, looking into the kitchen, and then back at Dylan, "yeah. Is that a bad thing?"

"No, no," he said. "I just wanted to say something to break the silence. You okay, Beck?"

"Mhmm," she said tiredly. "So, have we decided on more names?"

Dylan put his head back against the couch. "Oh, I cannot believe we're going to have a baby in the house."

"Me neither," said Rebecca. "So, what do you think? Boy or girl? Or, better yet, what do you want?"

"Your dad thinks it's a boy. He has it deep in his heart that there's a boy in there," he answered, laughing. "I don't care what we have. I just can't believe we're _having _at all. It's a freaking miracle, you know?"

"I definitely know," she agreed, leaning her head on her uncle's shoulder. "I'm going to go upstairs to call Lena."

Rebecca took the phone from the catty near the couch, and dialed the number. "Hello," said Ellie.

"Hi, it's Rebecca, can I speak to Lena?" she asked politely.

"Oh, sure," she said, walking to her daughter's room. "She'll be delighted, Rebecca. You have no idea."

Rebecca certainly had an idea. "Here she is," she Ellie, giving the phone to Lena.

"Rebecca, hi!" she said excitedly. "How was school?"

"Good," said Rebecca, walking into her bedroom. "You?"

"It was good. I have a new boyfriend," she said happily.

Oooh, boy. "Do you?" she asked. "I don't understand you. I don't even have an interest in boys now. You have a boyfriend at nine."

"You had a boyfriend last year," said Lena. "Weren't you interested in him?"

Rebecca sighed. "Sure," she said softly, "but I paid the price for it. I'm making a promise to you that I will never fall for someone so stupidly again."

"So, do your parents know?" Rebecca asked.

"Nope," she said.

"Wise choice. I never told my parents about Anthony," she said. "Come to think of it, I've been lying to them a lot lately."

"Everyone does," said Lena, sounding as though she were a professional.

Rebecca couldn't help but smile slightly. "Yeah, but I don't usually lie to them. I mean, my dad's like my best friend."

"Yeah, mine's not," she laughed. "So, when are my parents going over there, forcing me to stay with the dreaded babysitter?"

"Ah, I don't know. Probably soon," she replied.

"I wish I were in High School," said Lena, completely changing the subject. "You're so lucky."

"Overrated, sweetie. Promise me this boy of yours is good to you," said Rebecca. Their conversations usually consisted of frequent subject changes. "If he hurts you, I don't know if I'm allowed to kick nine year old ass."

"I don't think so," Lena laughed. "but thanks for being on the case. Am I allowed to kick fourteen-year-old ass?"

"No," said Rebecca. "I don't even think you're allowed to _say _ass," she laughed.

"Mom needs the phone now. I'll talk to you later, Rebecca."

"Bye."

Rebecca hung up the phone, and brought it back down to where it was supposed to go. Her father was no longer in the kitchen, but back with Dylan in the living room. Thankfully, they weren't arguing.

"So, I talked to Lena," she said, sitting down on the end of the couch, raising her eyebrow at the television screen.

"What are you watching?" she asked.

"I have no idea," said Marco.

"It's a classic!" said Dylan, clearly appalled.

"Sure it is, sweetheart," said Marco, resting against Dylan. "Is he going to, like, kill him? If so, warn me."

"Ugh," Dylan wrapped his arms more securely around Marco's body, "fine, I'll warn you, but you're ruining the movie."

Marco rolled his eyes. "Rebecca, what's going on?" he asked, turning his head away from the gory scene.

"Hmm? Oh, I don't know. Lena has a new boyfriend."

Marco smiled. "Ohh, boy. That's so cute."

"It's not cute," said Dylan, turning away from the _wonderful_ movie. "She's way too young to have one."

"So, how old, in your opinion, would a girl have to be to have a boyfriend?" she asked.

"Don't tell me—"

"I don't," Rebecca assured him, "but I…well, I did."

"Rebecca, when?" asked Marco, sounding rather hurt that he never knew about it.

"Last year," she said, feeling terrible. She suddenly realized how excited it would have made him, and she pretty much ruined it. If she ever dated again, if ever, she promised herself at that moment that he would be the first person told. "Long story," she said. In other words, 'I'll tell you when Uncle Dylan's not around.'

Marco nodded, well-aware of the secret language, content with the fact that he'd hear all about later on.

"You're way too young to have a boyfriend," said Dylan, looking back at the screen. "I won't allow it."

Rebecca didn't know why his rejection to it upset her so much. It wasn't as if she was planning on having another boyfriend anytime soon. Marco, however, smiled at her. "You wore that skirt this morning even though he disapproved, didn't you?" he asked, hoping to lighten her mood.

She nodded. "You told me I cou—oh," she smiled.

Marco laughed. "Enough said."

Marco overruled everything, especially during this pregnancy. "Now, if you'll excuse us, Becky, we've got to watch this…uh 'classic.'"

"No problem," she said, walking back upstairs.

Author's Note: Some action next chapter :) I know. You're excited. My last test, which is a Regents, is approaching, and…I'm kind of avoiding the studying that's, like, _right _next to me. It's lurking all around me, and I keep saying 'no.' I will, though, eventually. Please review :)


	3. Complicated Situation

Author's Note: So, yeah, I feel like writing a Crarco story for some odd reason. I don't even have any inspiration for it other than being in the mood, sooo if anyone has an idea for a story before I come up with my own, it would be much appreciated. :) Oh, and there's one more thing I have to mention. Someone, in a review, said that they thought it was kind of strange that Rebecca still calls Dylan 'Uncle.' One: She's just used to it, you know? Two: She sometimes calls him other things, you'll see. Just wanted to put that out there. :)

Rebecca got ready for school the next day, forgetting for a moment why she was actually not dreading it. She pulled on a blue tank top and blue jeans, and started going about making her hair look presentable before she finally remembered. She had a friend she looked forward to seeing.

Picking up her pace, she put on just a tiny bit of eyeliner, and added mascara. Usually, it was just eyeliner. She liked to put on a bit more each day until the overprotective man in her house said she looked like a whore, though she was glad he wasn't quite as rude about it.

Rebecca took her bag off the computer chair, and walked into the kitchen, seeing neither one of her parents in there.

"Dad!" she called out, wanting to say good-bye to, at least, one of them. Her father was usually the first one up.

"Did he go already?" she asked after Dylan had come through the kitchen door.

"He's not going," said Dylan. "He's really not feeling well, so I'm not letting him."

Rebecca laughed. "Okay, well, is he asleep?" she asked. Dylan nodded. "Tell him I said good-bye then," she said, kissing his cheek. "Bye."

"Bye," said Dylan, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

Rebecca closed the door, and Dylan watched her walk out, counting to three in his head while he sipped his coffee. Right on time, Rebecca walked back into the kitchen. She smiled sadly at her Uncle. He put his mug down, and opened his arms for her.

"I'm going to miss you," she said, her voice muffled in his shirt. "Dad is too."

"I know," he said sadly, "but two weeks goes by faster than you think."

"Sure," she said, rolling her eyes. "Promise to call twice?" she asked, her voice hopeful.

"Three times," he held up three fingers, pulling away from her. "Love you," he said. "Have a good day."

"Have a good flight," she replied, walking back outside.

Rebecca managed to arrive to her first class on time, something she hadn't done in many years. She knew Mr. Armstrong already seemed to hate her, so she didn't want to make it any worse on the second day of about one-hundred and eighty.

She sat herself down in the same seat next to Daniel, smiling. "Morning," she said.

"Good morning. You look sort of…different today," he noticed, trying to figure out just what it was about her that was not like the day before.

Rebecca looked herself over, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "What is it? Bad different? Good dif—"

"No," he interrupted her, calming her down. "Just different."

Rebecca smiled shyly, turning to open her new math textbook. Rebecca was never shy; it just didn't happen, and she wasn't sure whether or not she liked that side of her.

"Rebecca," said Mr. Armstrong, causing her to turn around in alarm. Had she been daydreaming again? Was class over?

"Yes?" she asked, seeing that he was at his desk in the back.

"What's your book number?"

"Book number…" she said, not following.

Daniel tried not to laugh. "He needs to know," he whispered, "the number in the textbook, so he can write it down."

"Sixty-eight," she said, blushing. Why was she acting so…so unlike herself? Maybe Daniel was right. She was different that morning, though she was sure he didn't mean this.

"Are you sure you'll be okay without me?" Dylan asked, moving around the bedroom, getting some last minute packing done. "I mean, I don't want to leave while you're sick."

"I'm _fine," _said Marco, annoyed that his husband had left most of his packing until the day of his departure.

"You're not fine," said Dylan, throwing another shirt in. "Otherwise, you'd be at work. Do you think it'll be colder or warmer there?"

"I am fine," Marco answered. "Maybe I'll go in later on, and I don't know. Bring cold and warm clothing."

"Well, I worry, you know?" he said, sitting on the suitcase, hoping it would close.

"You always pack too much," said Marco, rolling his eyes. He scooted over to the other side of the bed, closing his eyes tightly to block out his headache, and locked the suitcase that was clearly about to explode.

"I know," said Dylan, sighing. He hugged Marco tightly. "Miss you."

"I know," he laughed, "and hey, maybe I'll finally get you to call on one of these trips. I always wanted you to, and now I just want you to _hang up."_

"Okay, okay, but if you need anything, anything at all, I have my phone with me, all right?"

"Yes, just go," said Marco, kissing him good-bye tiredly. "By the way, do I _look _pregnant?" he asked, concerned.

"Absolutely not," said Dylan honestly. He was quite slim for a boy carrying a baby, and Dylan supposed that was rather good because Marco was constantly worried about his weight. "No one would ever notice."

"I can always make the flight later if—"

"Good-bye, Dylan," said Marco.

"Good-bye," he said, finally leaving.

Rebecca managed to get through her first half of the day with minimal screw-ups, a constant smile, and no confrontations with past friends. It was going pretty well.

She sat down to lunch with Daniel. She still didn't know what that giddy feeling she was dealing with was, but she had quite a good feeling. He didn't appear to have noticed anything, though.

"So, do you like it here?" asked Rebecca, taking another bite of her salad.

"Do you eat salad every day?" he asked, avoiding the question.

"Lately," she replied, laughing. "See, my dad is on this crazy health thing lately because…well, he just is. He usually makes insanely extravagant food, but since he can't send that to school with me, I've been getting salad."

"Do you like it?" he asked, handing her a potato chip.

She shrugged. "Don't stall. You like it here?"

"The school is okay, I guess," he answered. "I just don't know if I love the new home too much. Plus, it's weird with my dad not being around."

"I understand. My parents almost got divorced once…long story," she said.

"Seriously?" he asked, taken aback. "Wow, how did they get back together?"

Rebecca didn't know how to explain it without mentioning the crazy dead mother, run-away father, and two parents who were gay, so she decided it wasn't a conversation she wanted to continue.

"Well, they just came to their senses, I guess," she said, looking down at her food. Daniel was intelligent enough to realize that she didn't want to talk about it, so he tried to talk about something else, but found nothing that made any particular sense.

"So, I found out how my mom died," Rebecca said conversationally, as though talking about her salad.

"Yeah?" he asked, leaning forward to listen.

"Suicide," she said, just as plainly as her last statement. Daniel looked shocked that she could be so calm about it. "Yeah, apparently, I was too much for her to take care of alone."

Daniel stared at her sympathetically. Then, he remembered something. "Wait, I thought you live with your dad."

"I do," she said quickly. "He just wasn't there…at that time," she corrected, knowing it sounded stupid.

Daniel looked skeptical, but he didn't press the matter. "So, yeah, I'm doing okay here. Okay, so you were telling me yesterday that your dad works here."

"Mhmm," she answered, taking her last bite, "but he's sick today." She was tired of the conversation revolving around their parents. It was too risky that she would say something stupid.

"What does he do?"

"Psychologist/social worker," she said quickly. There was a good chance Daniel would meet him. Most of the kids who went to talk with him had all kinds of family problems like his own. She tried to think of something, anything, that didn't have to do with family.

"You want to come over my house today?" she asked. Her uncle wasn't going to be around anyway, so she figured it was safe.

He didn't seem fussed with the continuous subject changes. "Yeah, sure," he said. "I mean, your dad won't care?"

"No, but if it makes you feel better, I'll call him," she said, taking her cell phone after he nodded.

"Hey, dad," she said, holding her hand over her other ear to block out the sounds from the screaming teenagers. "Can I have a friend over today?"

She knew Marco would say yes, since he felt she'd been so isolated since the middle of eighth grade. "Of course," he said happily. "Is he sick?"

Rebecca smiled. "I don't think so."

"Then, yes."

"See you later," she said, putting the phone back into her pocketbook. "You can," she said.

Daniel smiled, and she smiled back. She decided to admit it to herself that, yeah, she liked him. Ohhh, but did admitting it make it _so _much harder to be around him!

Daniel and Rebecca decided to walk to her house even though taking the bus would have been so much easier. She showed him all of the good places, like the bagel shops and pizza restaurants, and then finally, her own house. Daniel was quite impressed, and actually asked her if she was rich.

"So far from it," she said, walking into the house. "We used to live in the world's tiniest apartment."

"Hey, Rebecca," said Marco, smiling when they walked into the living room.

"Hey," she motioned for Daniel to come closer into the house. "This is my friend Daniel. He's new here, so…yeah, this is my dad."

"Hi," said Daniel awkwardly, looking around the room. "Your house is big."

Marco laughed, sitting up. "Thanks?"

"Are you feeling better, dad?" asked Rebecca, already halfway up the stairs with Daniel behind her.

"Yes, it was _just _a headache, and you know how your uncle likes to exaggerate these things," said Marco, rolling his eyes good-naturedly.

Rebecca would have explained to Daniel why her uncle was staying with them, but once he realized her room was almost as big as the rest of the house, he didn't remember Marco had said that anymore. They weren't really _that _wealthy, were they?

Author's Note: Okay, so please review :)


	4. Chapter Four

Rebecca laughed. "Come on, stop adoring the house," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Well, you're very lucky," said Daniel. He sat down on the bed with her, still looking around the large room. Something seemed to catch his eye.

"There is a leg sticking out of your closet, Rebecca," he said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah, I got angry at some of my Barbie's when I was younger," she explained. "Some of them ended up losing limbs."

"I think it's cool you still have them, though. I had to throw out most of my stuff from back then," said Daniel nostalgically.

Rebecca couldn't think of anything to say. She was suddenly overwhelmed by how close she really was to him. Was he doing it on purpose? Making her like him, of course. He had to be aware of it because she suddenly couldn't stop smiling around him, and were his gorgeous big hazel eyes _really _necessary? As for everything else, well, Rebecca was surprised she was still on her feet.

"Are you okay?" asked Daniel, noticing she'd been staring.

"Oh," she blinked, her cheeks turning red, "yeah. Listen, I'll be right back."

Daniel nodded, continuing his tour around her massive bedroom. He was completely fascinated by everything in it.

Rebecca opened the door to her father's bedroom, seeing him immersed in a book in the chair beside his bed. "Daddy, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked awkwardly, shuffling her feet.

Marco put the book down immediately. "Sure. Something wrong?"

"Not exactly," she replied, walking over to him. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind umm, well, Daniel doesn't know that you're—you're…"

"Gay?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't be offended. It's just, I'd rather tell him than have him realize it, so could you possibly…" Rebecca didn't know how to ask.

"Turn off the gay?" he suggested, sounding more amused than insulted.

"Uh, possibly? And maybe not mention you have a husband?" she asked. She really didn't want to hurt his feelings even if it seemed like he really wasn't bothered.

"All right, Rebecca," said Marco. He and Dylan had talked frequently about the strange position they would be putting her in. She always seemed fine with it, but since she was admitting she wanted him to keep it quiet while her friend was there, Marco had been prepared for the day that would happen.

"No problem?" she asked.

"Nope, but I'm not going to prance around saying 'I'm straight. I'm straight!'" he laughed.

"I'm not expecting you to," she said, smiling. "Thanks."

Marco went back to reading his book, so she left the room. When she went back into her own room, she discovered Daniel was actually exploring her bathroom. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Enjoying yourself?" she asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Sorry," he looked embarrassed about being caught. "It's just…you have your own _bathroom!_ You're so lucky," he said excitedly.

"You're making me feel like a spoiled brat," she said, sitting down in her desk chair. She'd never paid attention to the wealth before.

"You're definitely spoiled," he agreed, opening her sliding glass door closet, "but you're not a brat. Do you mind?" he pointed to what was inside the closet.

"Go ahead," she nodded, logging on to her computer.

"You have a _lot _of Barbie dolls," he said, sounding amazed.

Rebecca smiled sweetly at him as she waited for her Internet to come up. "You sound like my uncle. No matter how many times he's seen them, he's always quite impressed."

"My sister would love some of these," said Daniel. "My mom keeps telling her that we have, you know, priorities, and she tries to understand, but she's just a kid."

Rebecca thought for a moment. She didn't really need to keep them anymore, but if her father had a baby girl, she sort of hoped to pass the Barbies on to her. If he had a boy, though, he probably wouldn't want the Barbies.

"You can take half of them home today," said Rebecca, making a compromise with herself. She never appreciated how giving up her Barbies would make her feel.

"Seriously?" he asked. This boy got so thrilled over the littlest things. Maybe she was too rich for her own good if she could give away half a million Barbies.

"Sure," she said, turning back to her computer. "I don't really play with them anymore."

"She will love these. Thanks so much," he said.

Rebecca had just gotten her email account opened when Marco knocked at her door. She sighed, minimizing the site again. "Come in."

"I wanted to eat something," he said. "Are you two hungry?"

Rebecca laughed. "I suppose I could eat. You?" she asked Daniel.

"Sure," he said rather shyly, avoiding Marco's eyes. Rebecca noticed he was very timid around most adults.

"Umm you two playing with the Barbie dolls?" he asked, holding back a laugh.

"Oh," said Daniel, realizing he had a few lying on the bed with him. "No…"

"Okay, whatever your pleasure," Marco teased. "Come down and eat."

"You go ahead, Daniel," she said. "I just want to quickly check my email." She gave Marco a look, and he threw an innocent smile her way.

"I won't be too 'gay'," he whispered, shutting her door behind him.

Rebecca opened her email, seeing that it was from Elizabeth, a girl she hadn't spoken to since her break-up with Anthony.

_Hey, Rebecca, please don't delete this. When you have a minute, I'd appreciate if you could call me or just send me an email back to show that you read it. I miss you, and I'm really sorry for what happened between us. I should have never listened to them, and even if everything was true, I should have stood by you. Please find it in your heart to…forgive me. _

_Love, Elizabeth._

Rebecca read it over twice, and decided she'd reply after Daniel went home. He was probably already dying downstairs without her to be of some protection from her hyperactive and suddenly moody dad.

She walked downstairs, and saw that the conversation in the living room didn't seem to be going too badly. They were talking about school, Marco standing with, as always, a coffee cup in hand, and Daniel sitting on the couch.

"Hey, sweetie," said Marco, seeing her walk into the room with a suspicious look on her face.

"Hey," she started, "I thought you came down to eat."

"Well, I decided I wasn't hungry anymore, but you two can help yourselves," replied Marco, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Are you feeling sick still?" asked Daniel curiously, trying to inconspicuously move further away on the couch.

Marco laughed at his actions. "I feel just kind of…bleh is the word. Don't worry; you won't catch it."

"What's…wrong?" asked Daniel, confused.

Rebecca jumped in. "Want to actually eat something?" she asked, leading him into the kitchen. The last thing she needed was for her friend to find out Marco was not only gay, but also pregnant. She wasn't embarrassed! She really wasn't…but for the first time, she really didn't take too much pride in it either.

She'd always thought it would start out hard, and then get easier as life went on. People's opinions, of course, not her own. She loved her parents no matter what, but it was the judging that came from her peers. Actually, though, it was the opposite. It had started out easy, but the older she got, the more prejudiced people she seemed to have to deal with.

Daniel sat at the table while she rummaged through the cabinets. "Hey," he said, causing her to turn around. "You all right?" he asked. "You seem kind of flustered."

"I'm fine. I want to make something buttery…" she said, getting up again restlessly. "Popcorn," she said, putting the bag quickly in the microwave.

"Look, I am fine. I'm just kind of crazy right now," she said, wondering how to explain all the things on her mind.

"Crazy is not fine," he pointed out.

Rebecca smiled, not paying any attention to the popcorn anymore. Honestly, this boy had too much of a hold on her. She'd never felt so strongly for anyone before, and it just seemed like a lot of trouble for nothing.

"All right, maybe I'm not fine," she admitted, taking a seat with him at the table. He laid his hand over hers.

"If there's anyone who knows crazy, it's me. What's going on?"

First thing: 'I seem to have this enormous crush on you…after knowing you for only a few days.' Yeah, that didn't seem like a good idea to tell him.

'Uncle Dylan's gone…?' He'd ask too many questions about that one.

"I'm just a bit stressed," she said, hearing the beep of the microwave, but God only knew when he was going to have his hand over hers again…so she was not moving.

However, another noise ended their little moment, as Daniel's cell phone had started to ring. _Perfect. _

"Hey," he answered. Rebecca could just vaguely hear the voice of his mother, she assumed.

"Sure," he said, sighing. "Yeah, I understand. Bye."

"Rebecca, I have to go," he said, rolling his eyes. "My mom has to go back to work, and my sister's going to be alone."

Rebecca nodded, understanding. "Here, let's go upstairs to get your stuff and everything."

They went upstairs to her room, where Daniel said a very sad good-bye to the large room, and took a few Barbie's with him, (thanking her exuberantly again) and hugged her good-bye. Oh, why did he have to be so cute?

As soon as he left, she typed a hurried reply to her friend Elizabeth, deciding she'd wait until they saw each other in school to become emotional. It didn't consist of anything, really except for a statement of '_I forgive you,'_ but the point was it was something, and she just wanted her to understand that she did care.

Rebecca walked downstairs to join Marco in the living room, an ecstatic smile permanently on. She jumped over the leg of the couch, landing with her leg on his lap.

"Someone's happy," he said, still with his head in a book.

"You know how you said I'd tell you if I got a boyfriend?" she asked.

Marco dropped the book immediately, without even marking his page. He looked down at her. "Did you?"

"No, but does a crush count?"

"I knewww it," he said excitedly. "So, does he know?"

"No, and I mean…I did not feel this way about Anthony at all. It's just kind of amazing," she said, blushing slightly. " I really like him. As for his feelings for me, I don't know."

Marco rolled his eyes. "He likes you."

"How do you know?" she asked, laughing.

"No guy would ever be crazy enough to not see how truly incredible you are, Becky," he said, picking the book back up, and flipping through to find his page.

She wasn't sure if she could believe he liked her, but her smile didn't fade. She had Daniel, and she also had Elizabeth back. Things were looking up in the world.

"Damn," said Marco, getting up from the couch, startling Rebecca, and making her move her leg.

"What?" she asked, wondering why he was putting on his coat.

"I'm hungry again."

Rebecca laughed. "Well, we do ha—"

"—not what I want," he interrupted. Apparently, he was going to the store.

Author's Note: So, yeah, please review. It will get better because I have huge plans for this. It's just…well, you'll see. :)


	5. Hot sauce and Daniel's Home

Author's Note: Here you go. After this, I'll be posting another chapter to Anytime is Good, Just Not Now…then the Crarco one. My cycle keeps changing, so I have to get used to that. I'm usually very scheduled :)

Rebecca got up unwillingly, taking a second to register why she'd woken up. She looked at her watch, confused, seeing that it was only four in the morning. Just when she was considering ignoring whatever it had been that had caused her body to think it was time to get up, and instead, go back to sleep for a while, she heard it again, this time consciously.

She hated, more than anything to wake up to the sound of her father vomiting in the bathroom near her room. She wasn't insensitive, of course. It wasn't that she was annoyed about being woken up, but the sound of it had a way of making her feel like she was the one in the bathroom, puking her guts out.

She pulled the blanket off of her body, rolling tiredly out of bed, and walked into the bathroom. He never quite had the time to shut the door. When she entered, he had, fortunately, stopped for a moment, kneeling in front of the toilet, holding the wall beside him for support.

"Hey, dad," she said with a sympathetic smile, rubbing at her exhausted eyes. "You okay?"

He shrugged. "Having a great time in here." Marco seriously hoped his stomach wouldn't turn again soon. He just needed time to catch his breath. "Did I wake you?

"Yeah, but it's okay," she kneeled down beside him, putting her hand gently on his back. "You going to be all right to go in today?" she asked, taking on the concerned husband role.

"Oh, I'll be fine with a few hours," he assured her, getting up. He usually waited for about five minutes for the feeling to come back, and since it didn't, he thought it was safe to leave the room.

"Well, it's pointless for me to try to sleep now," said Rebecca, still trying to rub the sleep out of her eyes while they walked out of the bathroom together. "I mean, even if I do manage to get back to sleep, it'll be time to get ready anyway."

"Let's go talk then? We barely ever have time," suggested Marco.

Rebecca smiled, following him into the kitchen. Marco prepared himself a cup of coffee while Rebecca merely shook her head in shame. "Doctor said it's not good for the baby…"

He sighed. "Okay, okay," he said, putting it back down near the sink. "I suppose it's better if I try to cut my addiction, anyway."

Rebecca nodded. "Yeah, it is. So," she said, changing the subject, "I gave half of my Barbies away for Daniel's sister."

"You did?" asked Marco, surprised. "They're like your babies."

"Yeah, from _when _I was a baby. His sister needs them more than I do," she said, smiling. "Speaking of babies…"

"No," said Marco, also wearing a bright smile. "Speaking of Daniel…you like him."

"I do," she replied, blushing slightly. "But dad, it's weird. I've had little crushes before, but it's like I'm attaching myself to him or something," she rolled her eyes. "It's pathetic."

"It's not pathetic," said Marco, sighing. "It's _love." _

Again, Rebecca chose to roll her eyes. "You're enjoying this, I see."

Marco laughed. "How could I not? I don't feel like throwing up, so pretty much anything is enjoyable. Like eating. You hungry?"

He didn't wait for Rebecca to answer, simply started searching for what he wanted. "Dad, you were just sick…in the bathroom. Now, you're eating ice-cream?" she asked. "Isn't that going to make you sicker."

"First of all, don't be silly, Beck, It's cake, not ice-cream," he corrected her. "I bought it yesterday. Second of all, I won't throw it up. Promise."

What could she do? Deny cake when it was placed so easily in her reach? She leaned forward, cutting a piece for herself and one for her father as well.

"When are you going to tell him?" asked Marco, swallowing a bite.

Rebecca shook her head, despite the smile. "I can't."

"You? Shy? I never would have thought it," said Marco, taking another bite.

"Me neither…I've never felt this way about anyone before." She took a bite of her own cake. "Man, this is good."

"It needs something, though," he frowned down at the piece of vanilla cake on his fork. He examined it for a moment longer, then rushed back over to the refrigerator.

"Dad, please do _not _put any weird…pregnancy cravings on such a good cake," she begged. "Please."

"For your information, my cravings aren't weird," he said, reaching toward the top shelf on the fridge.

"You'd just better not come out with hot sauce or something…"

"I never used hot sauce!" he exclaimed, sounding appalled. "Please, I mean, I can understand ketchup or something," he still reached farther back, apparently not finding what he needed, "but not hot sauce."

Suddenly, a shrill ringing interrupted them. "My alarm," said Rebecca. "I should go get ready. You should too…"

"Uh-huh," he said, frustrated that he hadn't found what he was looking for. "Oh, peanut butter is not in the fridge…silly me."

Rebecca laughed, never tired of making fun of his cravings. "Peanut butter on cake is actually not that bad. I might try it some time. Much better than hot sauce."

"Glad you approve," said Marco. "I should get dressed too."

………………………………………………………………………………………..

"I'm sorry I had to leave so early," said Daniel.

The two had never been too courteous in Mr. Armstrong's class, despite his requests for them to be quieter.

Rebecca didn't answer for a moment, choosing instead to stare helplessly into his eyes. Why was she putting herself through such torture? She tapped her fingers on the desk, wondering if it was possible that she had a chance.

"Rebecca…"

"Call me Beck or Becky," she said, coming back to reality. "And, it's fine. Your mom had to work."

"Yeah, but," he looked uncomfortable. "I pretty much always have to be at home," he said.

"Oh," said Rebecca. She didn't know what he was trying to say. They couldn't hang out? "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry. It's just…you want to come over _my _house today?" he asked, smiling again.

"Do not make me ask you _again, _you too," said Mr. Armstrong, irritated. "I do not want to have to call your parents."

They shook their heads, agreeing with that statement. "We'll stop," said Rebecca, "and I'd love to go," she said in Daniel's direction.

She spent most of the class trying to avoid his questions and comments. She felt badly, but she knew she had to either get rid of the crush or spend time thinking of how to do something about it. She also knew that, if she were trying to do something about it, he might not take to her ignoring idea very well.

Rebecca sat down to lunch with Daniel in the table closest to the lunch line, as usual. "Lunch?" she asked.

"Forgot it," he sighed.

Rebecca pulled out her pocket book up from next to her, evidently searching through it for money.

"Here's a five. Buy something," she said, opening her own lunch. Daniel looked at her unsurely. "Really, go ahead." She couldn't care less about a five-dollar bill. (**Author's Note: Okay, she's giving him a five…because, well, I wanted there to be change, but here's the deal, I don't know Canadian money, but I do know that things seem to cost more there, so I tried lol. Just letting you know.) **

Daniel sighed, and Rebecca could tell, if he weren't so hungry, he would have denied her money. He got up, looking unhappy about doing so, and walked onto the lunch line. In the meantime, Rebecca got up to find Elizabeth.

She walked over to the back table by the windows, breathing deeply as she discovered she was sitting at the table Rebecca had a feeling she'd be sitting at. Though she was almost positive she'd be there, she still sort of hoped she wouldn't be.

"Hey, Elizabeth," she said quietly, in a voice just barely above a whisper.

"Look, it's Becky Donavan," said Stephen, smiling sarcastically, waving up at her.

"Leave her," said Elizabeth angrily. "Come on, let's talk over here," she said, leading her away before Anthony got off of the lunch line and sat with them.

"Listen, I just wanted—"

Rebecca grabbed her friend in a breathtaking hug, surprising her. "Oh," she said, laughing slightly, rubbing Rebecca's back.

"I've missed ya, Lizzy," she said softly, pulling away from her.

"Missed you too, Becky," said Elizabeth tearfully. "I'm sorry for everything!"

"Don't worry about it," she said, watching as Daniel sat back down at the table. "Listen, I have to go sit with my friend…you can come, but I'm not going to sit at your table. Sorry."

"I understand," said Elizabeth, nodding enthusiastically. "I want to meet him, so yeah, I'd like to go sit with you."

"Wait…just so you know," Rebecca started, "I like him. A lot."

Elizabeth smiled, squealing, causing Rebecca to roll her eyes good-naturedly. "So cute."

"Come on. Try not to scare him away…"

……………………………………………………………………………..

"Do you think I should find out? I mean, do you want to know?" asked Marco, speaking with Dylan in his office during his lunch hour. He almost never ate with any of the staff.

"It's up to you, honey," said Dylan distractedly. "I really don't have time to talk at the moment. I'll call you around five, okay?"

"Just tell me if you want to know!" said Marco, holding his head in his hand. "Don't be so indecisive right now."

"Don't be so angry," Dylan retorted, trying to keep his patience. "Okay, yes, I would like to know," he said in a calmer voice. "I'll call at five."

Marco sighed, exasperated. "Fine. Talk to you then."

"Don't hang up angry," said his husband sadly, making Marco reluctantly crack a smile.

"I hate going to the doctor…especially without you there to calm me from pushing the man into the trash can," he said, laughing.

"I love you. Good luck," said Dylan, really having no more time to talk.

"Thanks, I love you too. Bye."

He checked his watch, so unwilling to get his butt in the car. He was ready to whine and scream, even be dragged on his feet to the Doctor's office, but since Dylan wasn't home, there was no one to do it. He had to stop being a baby and get himself there himself.

……………………………………………………………………………..

"My dad is at the doctor, anyway," said Rebecca. "It doesn't matter."

Daniel was just a tiny bit overprotective, and he was always worrying about something. Rebecca didn't necessarily mind, but it sometimes became a little hard to understand.

"He won't care that you're just coming home with me without even asking permission?"

Rebecca took her seat on the bus next to her troubled friend. She put her hand on his shoulder, attempting to relax him. "He is at the doctor. He will most definitely call me when he's heading home to give me news, and then I will tell him I'm with you. He won't mind."

"You're sure?" he asked.

"Positive," Rebecca answered immediately, letting herself think about her own worries for the moment. Was her father going to be okay? She was very happy that he had gotten through three months of the pregnancy, but what if something had gone wrong? Every time he went to the doctor, she became nervous that he'd bring back bad news. Male pregnancy wasn't exactly as common as female, obviously.

Did he even go to the doctor? He had a tendency to be rather stubborn about such things, she knew.

"Hey, Re—sorry, I mean, Becky?" said Daniel, while the bus drove out of the school lot. She turned to him in expectation. "I thought your dad was better. Just a headache…"

"Oh…he just got sick again. It's on and off." Oh, she was a much better liar than that. This wasn't fair. What was she supposed to do? Pretend her father was sick for the next…six months, or however long the pregnancy lasted?

Daniel looked suspicious. She had a feeling he wasn't thinking along the lines of pregnancy, but he knew that he wasn't just 'sick with a headache.' She knew he knew.

"Look, he's just getting it checked out. It's probably nothing," she said it mostly to convince herself that the appointment meant 'nothing', but also to try to convince Daniel that he wasn't infected with some strange disease.

Daniel smiled, leaving her alone about it. "Hey…can I ask you something?" he asked suddenly.

"Umm sure," said Rebecca insecurely, wondering what he was going to say.

"Never mind. It's stupid. So, my sister is very excited to meet you," he said.

Rebecca would have pressured him into asking whatever question it was, (because it was honestly going to bother her forever) but she knew that she wasn't telling him much either, so she let it go.

"How old is she?" asked Rebecca, truthfully, a little excited to talk about a little girl.

"Eight. I have to tell you, she wouldn't stop with those dolls last night. She was making them marry her bear…" he laughed.

Rebecca smiled guiltily. "Don't know where they get this marriage idea at such a young age," she chuckled.

"And apparently the bear followed polygamy. I mean, he had like sixteen wives, Becky," said Daniel, laughing at the memory.

Daniel looked out the window, biting his lip as the bus stopped. "This is…my stop," he said, not sounding happy about it. "Look," he started, when they stepped off the bus with a few other students, "it's not like your place," he said warningly before they walked up the block to his house.

Rebecca took his hand in her own, putting her shy feelings away. "I'm not shallow and materialistic. I just…" she laughed at her own stupidity "realized that I was rich when you told me, so relax."

"It's just an apartment…barely even one…"

"Daniel, shut-up and take me in, please. It's kind of cold out."

He smiled, trying to hide his fears. "Yes, ma'am."

Daniel and Rebecca walked upstairs into his apartment together. He unlocked the door, surprised to see his mother in the kitchen, and his sister lying on the couch.

"A.M. why aren't you at school?" he asked.

Rebecca wasn't being…judgmental, but she was just feeling sort of fortunate. Daniel was right. The small, colorless, less than homey apartment was definitely not like her house. She knew why he was trying to hide it, but she didn't want him to feel ashamed, and here she was, appraising it. It just wasn't what Rebecca was used to, that was all.

"She got sick," said his mother, bustling to get her purse, obviously ready to leave since her son was now home. "I had to leave work."

"Oh," said Daniel, shutting the door behind him as she hadn't even had time to say good-bye. "Well, wonder if she's got what your dad has."

Rebecca sincerely doubted that, but she said nothing about it. "So, your name is A.M.?" she asked the sick girl, confused.

"Short for Alexa-May," she said, smiling. "You're Rebecca?"

"Yeah, Alexa-May…that's a really pretty name," she said.

"Come on," said Daniel, "let's have something to eat."

"So, at my house, you're incapable of telling my dad you'll eat with us, but here, you're just ravenous and searching for food," she said, walking into the kitchen with him, which was only a few inches from the couch his sister was laying down on.

"Well," he said, seeing if there was something, anything, in one of his cabinets, "your dad was there. I hate talking to adults."

"My dad's not, like, an interrogator, Daniel," she said, sitting at the table, trying to stop thinking about how the chair might collapse at any moment. It was irrational.

"It's just a stupid fear I have," he said. "And I want to pay you back for borrowing your money.

Rebecca sighed. "It's not a big deal."

"It is to me," he said, once she'd barely even finished her sentence. It was obvious that he had been predicting that she would say something like that.

"What were you going to ask me on the bus?" she asked, bring up the topic she knew he didn't want to discuss.

"Nothing—just…nothing, _why _don't we have anything to eat?" he asked, cursing under his breath.

"Heard that," said his sister from the couch. Daniel rolled his eyes. "Mom said she'd bring us back something."

"Oh, good," he sat down across from Rebecca. "Sorry I'm being weird," he said. "I'm just kind of embarrassed about this. No food to offer you, borrowing your money, the apartment…"

"It's all okay," she said, groaning as her phone rang. They were going to have a moment soon. She could feel it. Why was it always ruined?

"Hello," she said, her voice showing irritation.

"God, I hate to disturb you, Becky, but I thought you might want to know," said Marco, "I'm healthy, happy, and having a boy."

"Oh my gosh," she said, her mood completely changing. "That's great! I'm at Daniel's. We'll talk later, okay?"

"Oookay," he said suggestively. "Have fuuun."

"Good-bye," she said, knowing he could probably see her blush through the phone.

"So, umm, what were we saying?"

Author's Note: Please review! Oh, and just in case you were wondering where Alexa-May came from:

My name is Meaghan, and my middle name is Alexa. My dad's nickname for me is May, so he has this game where he always makes a character something along the lines of May, and he made one, 'AlexaMay', and he suggested I use it as a name of a character in one of my stories. Just thought you might be interested :)


	6. Out There

**Author's Note: So, I was watching some movie on television today. I believe it was called "Quints." Anyway, Jake Epstein was in it. He was really really young. I've realized that I've been seeing him, Daniel Clark, and Lauren Collins in a lot of movies lately. Don't even get me started on Life With Derek. I still can't believe Tim was on it. Oooh, boy, Gothic boy, he was. Anyway, sorry to ramble on here. Enjoy the chapter.**

"She just works a lot," said Daniel, trying to defend his mother. "We just don't have a lot of money, as you can see. It's the whole divorce thing."

Rebecca nodded her head. "I understand," she said.

"It's just kind of embarrassing," he said, closing his bedroom door. "She's fine out there; don't worry," he referred to his sister. "I mean, your life is the total opposite. Besides, if you need your dad, he's in school with you."

That was true, Rebecca realized. "I'm just glad you're understanding about this whole thing. Not judgemental. Not like other people I know," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Of course not," said Rebecca uncomfortably, trying to make the bad thoughts leave her brain. He kept explaining how happy he was to have met her. He said that she her life seemed so perfect, but she wasn't spoiled enough to have a problem with his.

"Daniel," said Rebecca, frowning. This seemed like as good of a time as any.

"Yeah?" he asked, sitting next to her on the small bed.

"I…my dad," she started, "well, he just really thinks you're a nice boy," she finished lamely. Well, that was absolutely perfect.

Daniel raised his eyebrow. "Listen, Rebecca…what are you talking about?" he asked, laughing. He knew something strange was going on.

Rebecca turned her head as a knock sounded on Daniel's bedroom door. _Saved again. _"Come in," said Daniel quietly.

Daniel's mother was an attractive woman. Rebecca hadn't paid much attention to her before she left, but when she walked into Daniel's room, she realized that she didn't look anything like her son. While Daniel's hair was light her, his mother's was a sheer black, long and straight, flowing down her entire backside. Her eyes were a yellowish green, and the only aspect that seemed to mar her beauty was her look that said she was constantly exhausted, her eyes almost shutting while she spoke.

"I brought home some food," she said, attempting to smile. "You're Rebecca, I presume?" she asked.

Rebecca nodded, holding out her hand. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," said Daniel's mother, shaking her hand. "You guys eat. A.M.'s asleep, and I'm about to go to bed as well." She kissed her son's cheek. "Night."

Rebecca and Daniel walked quickly into the kitchen, starved. "What have we got here?" Daniel asked, opening plastic bags.

"Who cares? I'm starving," said Rebecca melodramatically, practically diving for a piece of fruit.

Rebecca, once the apple was in her mouth, calmly chewed. Her stomach had been not so quietly complaining for hours about her need to eat. She briefly wondered if Daniel had to go through this sequence almost every night.

"Oh," said Daniel, getting up from the table suddenly. He walked into the living room, which was pretty much attached to the kitchen, opening a drawer on the table by the couch. After a bit of looking, he found what he wanted.

"Here," he said, walking back into the room, and handing Rebecca a five dollar bill. "This was for, you know, lunch."

Rebecca held up her hand, pushing the money away. "No," she said. "It's not necessary."

Daniel shook his head. "I'm not taking money from you," he said, pushing the money back into her hand.

Rebecca felt the need to let a slight laugh out. "You think I need five dollars?" she asked. "It's not a big deal."

Daniel looked upset. "Becky, if you're trying to help me…or whatever, don't mention how much better off you have it," he said. "I just need to pay you back."

Rebecca sighed, taking the money, and pocketing it. She decided if it made him happier that way, she'd just do it. The smile he gave her proved that she'd done the right thing. "Thanks," he said.

She honestly thought he was crazy, but then again, when had she met anyone sane? "Look, it's getting late," she said, finishing off her apple.

Daniel nodded. "Ten," he said, agreeing. "You're so lucky you're an only child."

Rebecca thought it was wise not to mention there was a baby in her family's future. She nervously reached her arms out to hug him. She hoped he wasn't too dumb to understand the gesture. He obviously hadn't been awake enough to notice her feelings for him.

Thankfully, he returned the hug whole-heartedly. "I'll see you tomorrow," she whispered into his shoulder. She _so _didn't want to let go.

"Yeah," he said, prying himself away from her. "Bye, Re…okay, Becky," he corrected, seeing her glare in his direction.

Rebecca walked outside, Daniel following closely behind. "You're not walking, are you?" he asked once they'd gotten out into the hallway.

"Oh, no," she said. "I'm going to call my dad's friend to take me home." She smiled, hugging him again. She was never going to get enough of the close contact with him.

Rebecca picked up her cell phone, dialing Ellie's number quickly. Daniel insisted on waiting out in the hall with her until he made sure she was getting picked up. She didn't feel right explaining to Ellie why she wanted to be picked up by her with Daniel right there, so she hoped that Ellie would not ask too many questions.

"Hello," Ellie asked, confused. She probably recognized the number.

"Hi, Ellie, it's Becky. Listen, can you pick me up somewhere if I give you directions?" she asked. Rebecca knew she was making it seem to Ellie as though she was in some dangerous place, and that her father had no idea of where she was.

"Anytime," she said.

Rebecca gave her the directions, and then hung up the phone, and Daniel realized that he was allowed to go in now. Before walking down the stairs, Rebecca waved good-bye. "Good-night," she said sweetly.

"Night, Becky," he said, closing the door.

Rebecca waited patiently for Ellie in the chilly weather outside of the apartment building. She wasn't looking forward to the conversation they had to have.

Ellie's car pulled up, and Rebecca got in immediately. Ellie looked worried. "Does your dad know you're here?" she asked, as Ellie shut the door.

"Yeah," said Rebecca.

"Then why—"

"Ellie," Rebecca interrupted, "I need to talk to you, and you can't tell my dad any of this."

Ellie started driving again as soon as Rebecca was belted in. "What's wrong, honey?" she asked, concerned.

"Last year," Rebecca started, running her finger up and down the cold window, "I had some friends, namely Elizabeth, Anthony, Kenny, Jennifer, Michelle, and Annie. I was also relatively liked by many people."

Ellie looked extremely confused, but she nodded along with what Rebecca was saying. "I started dating Anthony…and things got bad. I mean, he cheated on me…but that's totally beside the point. I'm over that."

"Mhmm," said Ellie, obviously waiting for the bad part if that surely wasn't it.

"Well, before I figured out what he was doing, he and my other friends had been to the house loads of times, and I trusted him…so I told him about dad," she said, licking her lips nervously. Did Ellie know what she meant?

"That he's gay," she knew without asking.

"Yes. Well, I told him," said Rebecca, "and he said he was completely fine with it, right?" she said, her words becoming quicker.

"Right," said Ellie.

"Then, I found out about his little escapade with Brianne Schect, and I broke up with him, right?" she said. Ellie wasn't sure if her words could be coming out any faster, which made her worry. Rebecca talking fast meant she was going to have an emotional breakdown. Of course, Rebecca _was _naturally a quick speaker, but she'd only been known to spit out her words as hastily as she was currently when she was about to cry.

"Right," said Ellie again.

"So, then he's mad that I break up with him," she rolled her eyes, "or something stupid, and he goes telling everyone about me and how my parents are gay and everything, but not only that, he makes up all these lies about what they do and how they are and all that stuff. Then, he starts a rumor that the reason I dumped him was because I'm obviously a lesbian."

"I see," said Ellie, taking a deep breath. She was hoping to be done with such drama, but she would be there for Rebecca any time she needed, of course.

"Right," said Rebecca, sounding upset. "So, then, I don't care what he thinks, but my idiotic friends decide, not only to believe him, but also to avoid me because I'm obviously in love with each and every one of them because Anthony told them something along the lines of that. Therefore, they abandoned me." Rebecca took a moment to bring her hand off of the window, looking seriously hurt.

"So, they don't talk to me all summer, and I don't tell my parents, of course," she said, looking down at her legs. "I don't want them to feel so bad, and think they ruined my friendships or something because you know dad would. He'd feel awful. I also didn't want to hurt them, so I just didn't say anything, pretending that my friends _weren't _repulsed by me."

Ellie looked sympathetically at the wheel. They were just down the block from Rebecca's house, and she really didn't want to go in to see Marco after all of this.

"And you know how is hormones are at the moment. If he knew they all hated me, it'd kill him. Anyway," she said, moving on to the rest of the conversation, "billions of rumors then came from that one. Ellie, I don't even want to tell you the things that Anthony was saying I was doing, but what upset me the most was that my so-called best friends _believed _them. Even when I tried," she stopped, seeing that they'd pulled up in the driveway. She leaned forward to finish what she was saying.

"Even when tried to explain that it was all a bunch of lies, they wouldn't hear of it. Then, I just gave up because, I realized, even if I was a lesbian, they shouldn't have hated it, but I just…I wanted so much to get them back, you know?"

Ellie nodded, still not speaking much of anything but 'mhmm, right,' and the occasional, 'yeah.' She wanted Rebecca to get everything off her chest.

"So, Elizabeth is trying to make things right with me, and I'm more than happy to forgive her. I mean, if the situation was reversed, I—I probably wouldn't have done the same thing, but I'd have been confused," she said, "so I forgave her."

"Good," Ellie said, smiling. Did Rebecca have a reason to bring this up…or did she just need to vent about her previous year?

"Well," started Rebecca, feeling that Marco was going to come out at any moment. Ellie realized, horrified, that she had tears forming in her eyes, "there's this guy," she said, putting her head on her forehead, "and I really really like him," she continued, her voice breaking. "I lost Anthony, and I'm damn happy about that," she laughed a bit, "and most of my best friends…but I don't think I could handle losing this guy, El."

Ellie finally turned around in her seat, placing her hand soothingly on Rebecca's, letting her know she was there for her. "Tell him you like him," she said softly, sounding excited at the idea.

"You sound like my dad."

Ellie chuckled. "He learned from the best," she looked into the house to see that Marco was very clearly in the living room, "or maybe _I_ did."

"Do you think I should tell him?" Rebecca asked, clearly worried. "I mean, like I said, I can't afford losing him."

"Rebecca, if he's that amazing, there's no way you'll lose him," said Ellie, squeezing her hand.

"But sometimes people aren't as you think they are….okay," she said, seeing Ellie's look. "Okay, okay," she repeated, though Ellie hadn't said anything. "I know I should tell him, but not just yet. Which do you suggest first: My parents are gay…or: I'm in love with you."

Ellie laughed. "Love?"

"You know what I meant," said Rebecca, blushing. "I have to go." She kissed Ellie's cheek, opening the car door. She wiped her glistening eyes. "Thank you."

"Not a problem. Any by the way, I suggest the 'My parents are gay' first. That way, if you _do _happen to 'lose him' as a friend, which I'm sure won't happen, at least you won't have admitted your feelings."

"Good point," said Rebecca, closing the door. "By the way, he wanted to 'ask me a question' this afternoon, but he just let it go. Don't get excited," she warned, catching Ellie's quick smile. "It sounded more of a concerned question than, like, 'I want to ask you out.'"

Ellie's smile faded. "Shame. Anyway, good luck! Tell dad I said hello."

"Will do," she said, walking up the stone pathway to her front door. She threw it open, seeing her dad on the living room couch, falling asleep during a movie that, even though she only caught a second of it, Rebecca could see was extremely cheesy.

"Hey, dad," she said, trying to conceal the fact that she'd almost had a breakdown. He was half asleep, anyway, so it didn't really matter.

"Hey, Beck…" he said tiredly, turning the television off. He woke up almost instantly, remembering whom she'd been with. "How was your day?"

"Good," she said, smiling. Daniel would be okay with it, she told herself. He had to be. He seemed too good to be true. "I'm going to have a brother…" she said happily.

"And I'm going to go to bed," said Marco, kissing her cheek. "Love you."

Author's Note: Please review :) Oh, and Haley Starlight has a little announcement that I'm posting here. She's starting up a Degrassi Role-play thing, and I'm posting this here for…uh extra publicity, I guess lol, and she keeps forgetting to do it herself. If anyone is interested, please send her a message. The parts of Dylan, Ellie, and (unfortunately) Marco are already taken. So, yes, that being said, please review. I hope you liked this chapter! Oh, also, going on a vacation. Not a big deal; just about a two-day trip, so when I come back, I should be updating Anytime is Good, Just Not Now.


	7. Cruelly Ironic

Author's Note: Yeah, so here's the chapter. Oh, also, you must know that vati is my own personal…sort of German thing. It goes along with a joke, I suppose you could say, in my family. Just understand that it's a nickname Rebecca uses.

Rebecca got ready for school nervously. She didn't know if she was going to be able to tell Daniel anything, but she knew that, in order to satisfy herself, she was going to have to try.

"Well, maybe I wouldn't be so annoyed with it if you called, you know, at a time where I wasn't going to work."

Rebecca took a breath. Her father was in the kitchen, not yet at school, meaning someone was in a lot of trouble. She cautiously walked out of her room, heading quietly into the kitchen, hoping to not bother her dad since he was obviously in a 'mood'.

"Hold on a second," he said, irritated, pulling the phone away from his ear for a moment as he bustled around the kitchen. "Morning, Becky," he said, smiling tiredly.

"Good morning. Is that vati Dylan?" asked Rebecca, smirking. Marco thought it was extremely amusing when she called him that, and she was trying to cheer him up.

Apparently, he wasn't ready to be cheered up. He sighed. "Yeah, it's him. Big hockey star who succeeds at making me late," he put the phone back up to his ear, "for work."

"Uncle Dylan's in troooouble," she said sing-songedly, kissing Marco on the cheek. "See you later, dad. Tell him I'd love to say hi, but my friend awaits."

Rebecca walked out of the house as quickly as possible, which she figured had definitely been a good idea after hearing her father begin cursing loudly the moment she closed the door. She bit her lip, debating on whether or not to go in to comfort him, but she decided Dylan could handle it just fine, and she began walking to the bus stop.

Rebecca walked the hallways of her school, her heart pounding as she did so. Was she really going to tell Daniel? What would she say? More importantly, what would _he _say? She'd never been so nervous in her entire life! She felt as if she were giving up everything she'd gained from him. They were friends. Wasn't that enough?

Her heart was pounding so loudly as she walked into homeroom that she was sure Mr. Simpson could hear it. "You okay, Rebecca?" he asked.

"Becky," she corrected under her breath, taking a seat. She must have looked awfully worried if he questioned her. "Yes, I'm fine."

"Right, Becky," he said, nodding.

Rebecca's hands were shaking while she sat in the chair, waiting for attendance to be over, anticipating first period with Daniel. Maybe she shouldn't tell him there! Maybe waiting until lunch was the better option.

She closed her eyes, knowing the bell was going to ring at any moment. She couldn't concentrate on anything but Daniel. Seriously, this boy had only known her for a short week, and he'd already changed her from a fearless flirt to a terrified girl in love…maybe not love…

The bell rang, and when Rebecca had lifted herself from the chair, she considered asking Mr. Simpson if she could hide under the desk for a period, but she assumed he wouldn't be so happy with that suggestion. She had to be brave for Daniel, for herself, for Ellie, even for her dad.

She put her bag over her shoulder, pushing her hair out of her face, taking a deep, cleansing breath. She could do this.

Rebecca walked the hallway to her first period class, finding Elizabeth along the way. "You look like you're about to pass out," she said, patting Rebecca on the shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"I am about to tell a boy how I feel. I'd rather a heart attack," she said honestly, arriving at the door.

"Good luck," said Elizabeth, giving her a quick hug before scurrying off to make sure she was on time for her own class.

Rebecca took another deep breath, walking calmly into class. Daniel smiled and waved at her from his usual seat. "I hate this class," said Rebecca, smiling as soon as she saw him.

"Math is simple," he said, rolling his eyes. "You'll get better."

"Mhmm," she murmured, taking her seat next to him.

"You okay?" he asked.

Why was everyone asking her that? Why would he think she _wasn't _perfectly fine? Could it have possibly had anything to do with her trembling hands, tapping her nails against the desk? Could it have possibly been her breathing like a poor girl having an asthma attack? Perhaps, it was the fact that her face was turning bright red, more and more by the second. Maybe she did look like a tad anxious.

"Fine," she answered quickly. Daniel could tell she was lying. It didn't exactly take a genius to figure that out…not that Daniel wasn't one. From what Rebecca had seen, he was extremely intelligent. She couldn't believe it. Not only was she rambling about him, but it was in her own mind. Pathetic.

"Becky, please," he said, finally pushing her. He'd obviously gotten tired of her hiding things. "Am I your friend or not?" he asked, looking rather hurt.

Rebecca put her hands on her cheeks, hoping it would cool them down, turning them back to their normal color. "I think we should concentrate on Mr. Armstrong today," she said quietly, turning to the board. Stupid.

"Why?" he asked, laughing slightly. "We never did before."

"Well, I want to today, okay?" she said defensively, turning back. Why couldn't she just tell him? It shouldn't have been so hard, but the feeling that he didn't like her was just so strong within her body.

After first period, Daniel became fairly distant, afraid that Rebecca was angry with him or something. In reality, she was only angry with herself for not being able to do what she really wished.

She couldn't help feeling down for the rest of the morning, wondering if she'd been too harsh with Daniel.

"Great job, Becky," she said to herself. "If you're looking for him as your boyfriend, the _best _thing to do is scare him away."

She walked into lunch, annoyed with herself. She saw Daniel sitting at their table alone. Elizabeth wasn't there yet. Perfect. It was now or never.

"Hey," said Rebecca, sitting down across from him. "I'm sorry for this morning," she apologized, looking into his eyes hopefully, praying she wouldn't find anger in them.

"Not a problem," he said, pushing his food around his plate. "I made the mistake of buying…I think this is macaroni and cheese," he said, distastefully pointing to his plate.

Rebecca shrugged. "I'm not even hungry."

"You sure?" he asked. "Maybe you're sick too…you really haven't looked good today. Obviously, there's something going around."

Rebecca shook her head, looking down at her folded hands. "Listen…can we talk?" she asked. This was really it.

She caught a glimpse of Elizabeth on the lunch line, and if she didn't do this quickly, she'd lose her chance.

"Sure, Rebecca," he said, unfolding her hands so that he could hold onto one…just a friendly touch, of course.

She would have corrected him, insisting he call her Becky, but he had her permission if he really wanted to do it. But he was the only one. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Nervously, with her free hand, she rubbed the back of her neck. "Daniel…I…" she stammered.

Daniel looked even more confused than before. "Are you okay? Is it about your dad's sickness?"

_That _was another story. Rebecca shook her head, knowing she wouldn't be able to handle explaining three things at once. "I like you a lot," she said, biting her lip. Had she said that? She needed to go on. There was absolutely no turning back now. "You've become my best friend over," she laughed, "the last few days. I know I haven't known you very long at all, but you're amazing." She couldn't believe the words coming out of her own mouth.

"What I'm saying is…will you go out with me?" she asked tentatively, shutting her eyes tightly, preparing for what was to come.

After she received silence, she decided she had to open her eyes to see his reaction if he wasn't going to speak. Daniel looked upset, and she knew immediately that he didn't feel the same way. "I guess not," she said.

"Rebecca, I am so sorry," he said honestly. She could tell that he really meant it.

"It's fine." She said it as calmly as she could, but she felt tears in her eyes. She should have never told him. It would have just been easier to have not known how he felt. Rebecca never knew it would hurt this badly.

"No…" he said softly, looking away from her. "No, it's not. Listen, you were honest with me, so I should be honest with you."

She looked at him, confused. "Wh—what do you mean?"

"Oh, please don't cry," he said, closing his eyes to avoid the situation. Maybe he thought that it would make her disappear. She wanted to disappear as well.

"I tried to tell you this yesterday…and maybe I should have, but I didn't know what you'd think or say," he said apprehensively. "Promise you won't hate me?"

"Daniel," Rebecca laughed, despite her ill feelings. "Daniel, I couldn't hate you."

"Becky," he said, remembering to use her nickname, "I'm gay."

Rebecca closed her eyes again, resisting the urge to scream. Was the situation insanely ironic or did her life just suck?

Author's Note: Yeah, this is the chapter I have been literally excited and scared for since the beginning of chapter one. So, yes, that's the big secret there. Please review :)


	8. Can't Take It

Author's Note: I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix yesterday (I'm assuming when I post this, Wednesday will be yesterday lol)! You know…Harry Potter bigggggggggggg fan here! Anyway, there were a few parts I was very upset that they didn't put in…:( but I could tell they tried, except for Quidditch and everything that came with it, (i.e. Harry, Fred, and George's ban) but putting my pickiness aside, I _loved_ it. I can't wait for the seventh book!! With that being said, please enjoy the chapter. Sorry for the wait.

Daniel waited for Rebecca at her locker shortly after the last bell. He hadn't spoken to her since lunch, and he was afraid that she, despite her reaction, might have been scared off by his secret.

"Hey," he said nervously, smiling at her when she arrived.

"Hi," she said, forcing a smile. "Want to come to my house again today? Or…will it be a problem for your mom?"

"Definitely, and no, she's at the doctor with my sister," he said, shuffling his feet anxiously while she double-checked her bag.

"Let's go," she said, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

Rebecca and Daniel decided to walk again instead of taking the bus, mainly because Daniel wanted to make sure she was okay, and he thought taking a long walk would help get in some conversation. However, they were a few houses down from Rebecca's before a word was spoken.

Rebecca bit her lip, sticking her hands into her pockets. She turned to her friend with a sigh. "Listen, I know what you think. I'm against you because of what you told me," she said, looking down at her shoes.

Daniel nodded. "Yeah, that's kind of what I got from your behavior," he admitted dejectedly.

"I have no problem with homosexuals," she said, looking back up at him with her first real smile of the day. "It's just…this situation is too comical for me, even though I'm upset about it."

Daniel looked positively baffled. "It's…funny?"

Rebecca wondered how to say to explain to him about her parents. After all, she was sure he would have no problem with it now, but it still seemed somewhat hard to say.

"My dad is gay," she said quietly, looking again at the grass below her.

They'd arrived on Rebecca's front lawn. Daniel had to take a seat after she said that. "Seriously?" he asked, sounding more interested than shocked.

"Seriously," she replied, trying to better understand his reaction. "He's married," she went on, "but…oh my gosh, I have a lot to explain, don't I?"

Daniel nodded. "I'm sure you do."

Rebecca got up from the grass, holding her hand out for Daniel to do the same. She felt his nervousness coursing through his body. He always felt so unwanted while walking into her large home.

"It's okay," she told him, walking with him to the front door.

Rebecca opened the door, seriously hoping that her father was being extremely pregnant-like. Therefore, the details would be so much easier.

"Hey, dad," she said with a smile.

Marco was sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the wall. "You okay?" she asked, concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, sighing. "Just worried about…Dylan," he said hesitantly, wondering how he should address his husband in front of Daniel.

"Why?" she asked, confused, pulling Daniel further into the house. She stood in front of Marco. "What happened?"

"He got hurt during the game," said Marco, rolling his eyes. "I'm sure he's okay, but it still irks me that he just says 'I'm in the emergency room, but I'm totally fine.'"

"Are you waiting for him to call?" asked Rebecca, glancing at Daniel to see if he still looked as shy as he did when he came in. He certainly did. She was going to have to let him see that, though enormous, her house really wasn't that intimidating.

"Yes," he said miserably, switching positions so that he was watching the floor lying down instead of the wall while sitting up.

"We'll be upstairs, then," said Rebecca, dragging the boy right up with her.

Rebecca walked to her bedroom, stopping for a moment to admire the hallway. She'd never paid any attention to it before, of course, but after all of Daniel's comments were made, she was really starting to think about how good she had it.

She closed the door, and she took a seat in her computer chair, as always, while Daniel took the bed. "So, you were serious?" he asked, lying down on his side, his head touching the backboard.

Rebecca turned on her computer. "No, hon, I was _joking," _she said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. She was upset about what had happened, but if he wasn't going to mention it anymore, neither was she.

She watched his eyes search her face for a moment, as if he wanted to ask something, but didn't know if it would be okay. Finally, he took a deep breath. "Tell me more, please."

Rebecca smiled, typing in her user password before turning back around. "Well, my mom died when I was young, I told you," she said, waiting for a sign that he recalled it. He nodded. "Well, she and my dad weren't in contact or whatever when she committed suicide, so my mom's brother…in other words, my uncle, and his husband…my dad, Marco, took me in."

"Wait…your dad, Marco, your uncle's husband…Becky, I'm so confused," he said, laughing a bit. "What?"

"Okay, well," she said, letting her computer service continue to start up while she walked over to sit in the spot he'd left on her bed. He immediately scooted over.

"You see, I've called him my dad ever since I can remember…and my real dad never cared about me. Like I told you, my parents, meaning Marco and Dylan, almost got divorced…"

"Right," said Daniel, moving into a sitting position. "That's when I became so confused, honestly."

She nodded. "Yes, but they got back together, and all was good. My uncle is actually a professional Hockey player…"

Rebecca told all that she could remember from her past and present, as Daniel's eyes grew wider after almost each and every statement.

"Here's the part you're not going to believe, and if you do, I'll think you're just as crazy as I am: My dad is pregnant. No joking here," she said, holding her hands up defensively.

Daniel looked more taken aback than ever before. "I feel like God moved me here for a reason," he said, laughing. "Either I was supposed to meet you for a friend…or just…to walk into some fantasy world."

Rebecca got up to walk back to her computer. "Well, it is true."

"For some reason," he said slowly, shaking his head as if he couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth, "I actually believe that."

"Welcome to the craziest family you'll ever meet," she said, turning to sign onto her name. Suddenly, she didn't feel so okay. Daniel didn't notice her sudden absence of attitude, but she realized, painfully, as she thought of him dating someone, she liked him a lot more than she thought.

Rebecca spent most of her time with Daniel that day filling him in on the way her life runs, since she had nothing to leave out anymore, and how basically, besides losing friends, it was no different than living with straight parents, or parent, in his case. He seemed to find everything she said very enlightening, and was happy when she said there were absolutely no ill feelings about how he didn't feel the same way she did about her. She even told him she didn't like him that way _that_ much…which was a complete lie.

"Well, I've got to get home. I'm sure my mom is back by now," he said, not sounding too glad about it.

Rebecca nodded, taking him downstairs. "Next time I'm here, I get a tour, okay?" he said, smiling.

"Bye," said Rebecca, hugging him firmly with a forced smile. "See you tomorrow."

"Finally Friday," he said, raising his hands to the ceiling, praising.

"Definitely," she said, waiting for him to just leave.

"Tell your dad I said good-bye," he said, opening the door.

Rebecca nodded, closing her eyes. '_Just go.'_

As soon as he closed the door, Rebecca's eyes flipped open, and she was left staring at the door, tears in her eyes. She took a few short breaths, doubting it would prevent anything.

"I don't think staring at the door will make him come back," said Marco, coming into the living room behind her with a bowl of popcorn in his hand.

"Dad, just…don't right now," she said, waiting for the tears to stop before she turned back around. "Okay?"

Marco walked over to her, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Becky…"

"Just," she said, turning around for a split second before deciding against it, turning back around, and walking back up the stairs, "just leave me alone."

"Rebecca!" Marco called when she got to the top of the stairs. "What's wrong?" he asked, realizing she was crying.

"Leave me alone!" she shouted again, leaning over the banister. "Dad, just…you are the _last _person I want to talk to right now."

Marco looked hurt, staring at his surrogate daughter from below. Rebecca barely knew what she was saying anymore.

"Daniel doesn't like me, and it's all because…because he's like…and you are too… I just," she paused, looking angrily down the hall to her room, "I can't take this anymore!" she screamed.

Though Marco didn't understand what she was saying, he watched mournfully as she walked to her room, wishing he could say something that would make them both feel better.

Author's Note: Again, sorry for the wait. I hope you liked it anyway :) Please review. I may not be updating any of my stories for a couple of days. I'm sorry. I'm having the whole family in New York here…so yeah.


	9. Blame

Author's Note: I have to go to another family thing! Ugh! I'll be back Monday when I have to get a shot. Wish me luck. Here's the chapter :)

Marco knocked gently on Rebecca's door, drowning out the sound of her sobs. "Rebecca, what's wrong?" he asked. He felt strange using her full name.

"I said to go away," she said in voice muffled by a pillow. "Dad, just leave."

"I want you to tell me what's wrong with you," he said desperately. He tapped his foot impatiently, not planning on walking away.

Rebecca didn't answer. In fact, she didn't say a word for the rest of the fifteen minutes that Marco decided to stand there. "Fine," he shouted childishly. "Well, if you're going to be like that, I'll just be downstairs on the phone with your uncle."

When Rebecca still gave no reply, Marco sighed. What happened? What had been done to make her so angry with him? More importantly, what had _he _done?

Marco walked down to the kitchen, picking up the phone to dial Dylan's number. He didn't need this added stress. "Dylan, hey," he said, thankful that Dylan had picked up. He'd already called him several times that afternoon with no answer.

He held the phone up to his ear by his shoulder while he turned on the oven to get ready for cooking the dinner. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked, remembering his injury.

"It's a sprain," he said. Marco could tell he was rolling his eyes. "I'm going to play tomorrow, if that's why you're asking."

Marco almost dropped the phone into the boiling pot. He quickly caught it. "Dylan! You are not playing with a sprained…er…"

"Ankle," said Dylan.

"Exactly. You can't play like that. They won't let you, and neither will I," he said furiously. "You'll get hurt even worse!"

"Marco," said Dylan wearily. "I'll be fine. Anyway, so what's going on with you?"

Marco frowned. "Trying to make dinner as I wonder why my daughter hates me," he said melodramatically.

"Honey, I'm quite sure she doesn't hate you," he assured him. "What happened?"

Marco lowered the heat on the stove, holding his hand over his eyes, distressed. "I don't even know, Dylan!"

"Relax," said Dylan slowly, knowing how his husband had a tendency to stress out over circumstances that were really nothing. "Just relax."

"Don't tell me to relax!" he yelled. "Rebecca hates me."

Dylan had to roll his eyes for the second time in the conversation. "Marco, give me some more to work with here?"

"Right, so Rebecca's friend/crush le—"

"Crush?" interjected Dylan, not sounding too happy.

"Dylan, that's not the poi…wait, maybe you do have a point! Something happened with Daniel…perhaps, she told him how she felt?"

"Wait, excuse me? Don't tell me you encouraged this," said Dylan, trying to get Marco to focus on what he was saying.

"Maybe…but I still don't understand why she's angry with me. I mean, I did tell her to tell him," he sighed. "Oh, boy."

"Marco, wait—"

"I have to get her to talk with me!"

"No," said Dylan firmly. "You need to tell me that Rebecca is not dating this boy."

"For all of our sakes, you'd better hope she is."

"I don't understand why you called me to tell me that Rebecca won't open the door," said Dylan. Marco finally realized he sounded exhausted.

"Don't play the damn game, Dylan," demanded Marco. "I will not have you break your damn leg off!"

"Constant change of subject, hmm?"

Marco realized he'd almost forgotten about the dinner he was cooking. "Look, I'll just…I have to go take care of food and Becky, so you won't play?"

"I _will_ play," Dylan replied. He just had to be difficult.

Marco groaned. "I don't even have time for this now. Fine. Go disobey me," he said angrily. "I don't care."

He felt himself becoming emotional. Therefore, he hung up the phone immediately before Dylan said anything about how his behavior was all because of his pregnancy. He was tired of hearing that.

"Damnit, Rebecca, get down here now!" he shouted. If his 'scary' tone didn't get her to come down, he didn't know what would. He tried to be comforting, but now he didn't know how to act.

"Or I'm coming up!" he added. "A—again." His intimidating tone was fading a little, and he was sure it sounded fake.

Marco made sure everything was set not to burn, and walked back up the stairs, listening intently to see if Rebecca was crying. He was sure she had stopped by now.

"Becky?" he said tentatively as he got closer to the door. He got no response. "Is it locked?" Still nothing. He turned the knob, seeing that it wasn't locked, and didn't let her know he was coming in.

He was relieved to see she had stopped crying. She was sitting in her computer chair, as always, typing frantically on the keyboard. He wasn't sure if she didn't know he was in there, or if she was simply ignoring him. He figured it was the latter.

"Beck?"

"Hmm?" she murmured, keeping her eyes focused on the screen.

"Are you paying attention to me?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, positive that she wasn't.

"Sure," she said, rolling her eyes.

"Rebecca, why are you acting like this?" he asked, rubbing his temples tiredly. "It's just not like you."

She turned to him, finally ungluing her eyes from her computer. "Can you leave?"

Marco blinked. "Excuse me?'

"It's just a request," she said. "Fine," she turned the computer chair to face him. "What?"

Marco was too shocked by her attitude to respond for a moment or two. "Umm, what?" he asked, confused.

"Why are you in here?" she asked, waiting impatiently for his answer.

"Okay, just to let you know, whatever happened to you today wasn't my fault," he said, wanting to make that part clear. "What did happen?"

Rebecca shrugged, but before she could turn her wheeled computer chair back around, Marco grabbed it, forcing her to face him again. "Becky?"

"You _did_ do something to him," she said. Marco thought a part of her brain knew she was speaking nonsense. "You—you," she stuttered, "must have made him gay."

Marco frowned slightly, realizing what had obviously happened, but also felt a little annoyed. After all he had taught her, she still believed people could 'turn gay'?

"I'll just leave you alone for while, okay?" he said, touching her shoulder lightly before leaving the room. He turned back for a moment. "If you want to talk, I'm here."

She shook her head, looking downwards. Before he left the room, she said quietly, "Maybe later."

Marco nodded, understanding.

Author's Note: Pleeeeease review :)


	10. Familiarly Unfamiliar

Author's Note: Well, I'm crying. The Deathly Hallows was the best one yet. Finished the other day. I'll miss you, amazing series. No other book, movie, or show can compare, my love :( Anyway, enjoy.

Marco called Rebecca for dinner, but didn't call her again after he realized he was being pointedly ignored. He sat down to begin eating. If she got hungry, she'd come down.

Sure enough, after a few minutes, Rebecca came into the kitchen quietly, sitting down across from her father at the table. He said nothing, but watched her help herself to dinner.

"I'm sorry," she said as she pushed some of the food around her plate. "I was angry; I still am. It's unfair."

Marco nodded his agreement. "I know it is."

They ate in silence for the rest of the meal, Rebecca not really eating as much as she was pushing around the plate. "I'm sorry," she said again as she picked up her plate to throw away the remains.

Marco nodded, watching her clean up. "I know you are."

The next morning, Rebecca left without saying good-bye, simply fled the house even before him. She decided to walk. Not ashamed or angry with her father, but unable to face him because of the regret she felt for hurting him. He'd only been trying to help.

Rebecca arrived at school, catching up with Daniel at her locker. "Hey," she said, opening it to get out some books.

"What's up?" he asked, tilting his head to the side. She could tell he still felt bad.

"I'm fine, _really," _she said, answering his unasked question rather than 'what's up?'

Daniel shrugged as though he didn't fully believe her, but he let it be. "So, my dad called today," he said conversationally while Rebecca shut and locked her locker.

She threw her bag over her shoulder. "Yeah? What did he say?"

"Have a good day at school," he snorted. "Pathetic."

Rebecca rolled her eyes, understanding. "Yeah, it really is."

She turned to him, alarmed. She was afraid that she wasn't supposed to agree with him. Perhaps she was supposed to shake her head, tell him his father was only busy, that he really wanted to have a conversation with him, and that he missed him.

However, looking at him, she saw that he was looking straight ahead, pleased with her answer. She calmed down, turning before him. "I'll see you after homeroom," she said.

"Bye," he said, barely turning around She could tell he was upset.

When she walked into first period, she was pleased to see that her friend looked a lot happier. "Daniel," she said, acknowledging him before taking her seat.

"You know, I really like it here," Daniel replied. "People are just so…I don't know what the word even is."

"In everyone's business?" said Rebecca, raising her eyebrow. "Trust me, they're not amazing, but I'm glad you like it here."

The two stopped their conversation, and turned to the front of the room, as Mr. Armstrong had started to teach.

"Rebecca," said the girl behind her. "Rebecca," she whispered again more fiercely. Rebecca rolled her eyes, and turned around.

"What?" she whispered back, but was able to successfully pretend she was paying attention when Mr. Armstrong glanced at her.

"There was a man outside today," she said, still keeping her voice quiet. "He asked me who I was, and if I knew you, I told him yes, but then quickly ran inside." She paused. "I'm sure you understand."

Rebecca nodded, understanding why she ran from the strange man. Rebecca was quite concerned herself. Who had been looking for her?

"Well, anyway, just be careful. The man was a redhead with br—"

"Ms. Patty?" said Mr. Armstrong, who was well aware of the girls' conversation. "Shall I stop my class until you're done?"

"Sorry," the dark haired girl apologized meekly. When his back was turned, however, she went on. "Dark brown eyes, and big leather jacket. I don't know why, but he's looking for you."

Rebecca appreciated the warning. She'd make sure Daniel was right by her side when they were walking out of the building. She tried to pay attention for the rest of the class, but he was on her mind. The man, of course. Not Daniel… Well, she thought to herself, unfortunately, Daniel was too.

While she walked with Daniel to the cafeteria for lunch, Rebecca tried to fathom who could possibly be looking for her, and whether he would still be there after school? _How _did he know of her? Had she ever met him?

"Becky?" said Daniel, interrupting her thoughts.

Rebecca blinked, realizing that they had gotten to their common table already. "Oh, right." She sat down with him. "Elizabeth's not sitting with us today."

Daniel nodded. "You told me," he said, smiling slightly.

Rebecca didn't reply; she simply watched him as he opened his bag that held a sandwich. "Aren't you eating?" he asked, gesturing to her empty hands.

"Nah," she said, propping her head on her elbow. "Listen, there was a man outside looking for me, according to Hailey Ascavit."

Daniel raised his eyebrow, looking disturbed. "Was he…old or something?"

Rebecca shrugged. "I didn't see him, Daniel. I'm worried."

"Don't. Relax," he said, putting his hand, the one not holding the sandwich, on top of hers. She recognized it as his usual gesture of comfort. "It'll be fine."

Rebecca decided to let it go, barely speaking for the rest of the lunch period as Daniel read while finishing his sandwich. For some reason, she couldn't get rid of the intense worry inside of her.

"I can't believe how much work I have to do tonight," said Daniel, sounding completely exhausted. "I mean, with the—"

"Shh," said Rebecca abruptly, holding her arm out for him to stop walking. "That must be him," she said quietly, pointing across the street.

"There's no way he's been there all day," said Daniel, confused. "Hailey must have told them when school ended."

"Let's walk…quickly," she replied, but before she could, the man had recognized their hurry, and ran quickly over to speak with them.

"Wait!"

Rebecca stopped because of second nature, but Daniel tried to get her to start moving again. "Come on," he pleaded.

But Rebecca remained still. There was something familiar about him that she simply couldn't put her finger on.

He smiled a familiar, yet grim, smile, and held out his hand. Rebecca looked first at Daniel, who seemed to be debating in his mind whether or not they were doing something good, and then took his outstretched hand.

"Do you know, then who I'm looking for? Do you know Rebecca Donovan?"

Rebecca felt her body shaking as she spoke. "I—I'm Rebecca."

His strange smile became wider, though Rebecca felt he had known all along it was she. "Hello, Rebecca."

"Rebecca, let's—"

"Hold on," said the man, raising his hand up to prevent Daniel from saying anything more. "It's only fair that I get to speak with my only daughter, right?"

Author's Note: Please review :) I think I won't be starting the Harry Potter story for a couple of days or…weeks, but I already have some ideas. I generally right during Lily and the marauders' time.


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